Transition
by MetroidGuy
Summary: She was more than just his coworker... he had fallen and nothing could change that. Phoenix/Maya


Wright & Co. Law Offices

June 18, 2018, 9:08 PM

(tick...tock...tick...tock...)

The clock ticked slowly as he sat behind the desk. No one else was in the offices of Phoenix Wright, defense attorney, at such a late hour, not even his assistant Maya Fey or her little cousin Pearl Fey. The summer sun had just descended beyond the horizon, leaving Phoenix to think under the veil of darkness. It was true that he was working on a small case at the time, but he didn't care about it at the moment; after all, his career was almost his entire life. No, tonight Phoenix's mind was occupied by a very special girl.

Perhaps 'girl' was too patronizing, for she was 19 now, and very much a woman. Maya Fey...the girl who had become Phoenix's trusted assistant after the tragic death of her sister Mia. Mia had been Phoenix's mentor in law and everything else, he said, and he thought no one could ever replace her. In that, he was correct, but it soon became apparent to him that Maya was every bit as indispensable to him as Mia had been.

When they first met, Maya seemed so impulsive, so spunky, and so...immature. She certainly didn't seem like the sort of person Phoenix would trust to be his partner in law, but the two years that they had known each other brought change in Maya. Phoenix didn't know what it was that caused her to mature. Maybe it was having been tried as defendant in the cases of two murders that she didn't commit, or maybe it was because of the rigorous spiritual training she undertook in her hometown, the famous Kurain Village. One thing was for certain, though; Maya had completed the transition from a girl to a fine young woman quite brilliantly, and Phoenix could suppress his feelings no longer.

Pearl had always suspected that Phoenix and Maya were romantically involved. Phoenix had originally thought that Pearl was just victim to some fairy-tale love fantasy, but it is true that young children are more perceptive to the truths that the ways of adults obfuscate. He had to give it to her, though, Pearl was tenacious in her belief, and it was beginning to influence what Phoenix thought. The truth, then, came to light: Phoenix was beginning to fall in love with Maya.

It had been a year ago, he remembered. Around this time last year, he began to see Maya as more than just his coworker and closest friend. No longer was Maya just the perky assistant that helped Phoenix in his pursuit of justice for his clients. On that warm July afternoon at the Blue Orchard theme park in Los Angeles, she became the object of Phoenix's love, but he found the way to her heart blocked by fear. Though he might have been courageous and steadfast in the courtroom, Phoenix feared how Maya would react if he were to tell her.

And here he sat, almost one year later and desperately in love. Memories of him and Maya were flooding to the surface of his mind, but he was beginning to form a plan in his mind- why not tell Maya at the very same park he fell for her? He was planning to take a day off, to take himself, Maya, and Pearl to the Blue Orchard. The girls were sure to come; Maya had proclaimed the park as the best in the whole world, and Pearl's opinion of it was just as glowing. Phoenix picked up his cell phone and dialed Maya's number- she was bound to still be awake at 9PM during the summer.

(ring...ring...ring...ring...)

"Hello?" came the voice of Maya over the phone, which to Phoenix's love-stricken mind sounded like the voice of an angel.

"Hello...Maya?" he said. Phoenix could almost see Maya's eyes light up as she heard his voice.

"Nick! What's up?" she replied.

"Not that much, still at the office and all that." Phoenix said.

"Aren't you going to catch the bus home? It's after nine."

"Yeah, I will before too long. Listen, I was calling to ask you something."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Phoenix felt a knot in his stomach form from the anxiety.

"I was wondering if you and Pearls would like to come with me to the Blue Orchard tomorrow." Phoenix said. There was no way Maya would decline that, but then again she didn't know what he was intending to do.

"Sure, Nick!... wait, you're paying, for us, aren't you?" Maya asked.

"Of course I am, Maya! I'm not about ready to make you go Dutch, you know." This was one of the reasons Phoenix had fallen in love with Maya- her quirky mannerisms that at times exasperated him and at times elated him.

"All right, then. What time are we going?" Maya asked. Phoenix stalled for a second, he hadn't thought of a time yet.

"Um...how about from 2:30 to 10?" The park closed around ten at night, otherwise he would have opted to stay later.

"That sounds good!" Maya chimed back.

"All right, we'll meet at my office tomorrow at 2." Maya let out a small noise like a squeal.

"I can't wait, Nick! I'm sooo excited!" she said. It didn't take much to get Maya riled up, and the knowledge that he had made Maya happy made Phoenix happy, too.

"Hey, so am I. I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"See you later!" Maya said before she hung up her phone. All Phoenix could think about was tomorrow as he waited outside for the bus to come to take him back home...about what he was going to tell Maya.

Phoenix's Residence

June 19, 2018, 1:45PM

Phoenix was in a bit of a rush- he had woken up late, at around 1PM, but an hour was plenty of time for him to get ready. He was done with his shower in about ten minutes, making sure to put on a special cologne. As for his attire, he chose something more casual than his usual business suit- a white T-shirt and blue jeans. He took care to get his hair to spike just right, and once he got his backpack that he prepared the previous night, was ready to leave. Just before he actually stepped out, however, he remembered that he had forgotten something.

A quick dive of his hand into his pocket told him that he was missing his wallet. He quickly sprinted back to his bedroom, where he found his wallet laying right next to a green, glowing jewel shaped like half of a yin-yang ball. This was his Magatama, a gift from Maya that allowed him to detect when someone was holding a secret in their heart. In his hurry, he almost left it where it was, but something told him that he might need it. To be safe, Phoenix stowed both the Magatama and his wallet into his pocket.

By now he would certainly be late if he didn't leave to catch the bus, so Phoenix left his home and walked to the bus stop. The bus carried him to the street that his office was on, and enough time had elapsed back at the house that he was ten minutes late when he actually arrived. Maya and Pearl were waiting for him in the lobby of Wright & Co., travel bags in hand, and when Maya saw Phoenix she looked angry with him.

"Nick! Where have you been? It's already 2:10!" Maya said, puffing her cheeks out and frowning.

"Yeah, Mr. Nick!" Pearl added, looking angry as well. "You left Mystic Maya waiting!"

"Geez, girls, calm down! The bus to Blue Orchard doesn't get here until 2:15!" Phoenix said, slightly exasperated.

"Well then, what took you so long?" Maya asked, sounding a little less angry.

"...I misplaced my wallet and had to go to retrieve it." Phoenix mumbled, sounding sheepish.

"Oh...I see. Well, you can't do anything without it." Maya mused, transitioning from anger to thoughtfulness.

"Yeah, which explains why I turned back to get it." Phoenix thought to himself.

"Well, the bus is coming soon. Should we stand outside and wait for it?" Maya asked, sounding perfectly content once again.

"Yeah, I've been thinking that." Phoenix responded. The three of them walked out the door to the nearby bus stop, and after several minutes the bus pulled up. They could see on a LCD display on the bus that it was headed to Blue Orchard.

"There's the bus, Mr. Nick!" Pearl exclaimed, and they got on and took the seats nearest to the door. Phoenix took the seat near the window, but he wasn't looking out to enjoy the view of the city. Instead, he was looking- almost gawking- at Maya.

She looked so beautiful to him, even more so than she usually did. Her midnight-black hair was done in her trademark style- worn long with a cute bundle near the top and two beads hanging from isolated strands that hung over the front of her body. She had beautiful, black eyes that always seemed to shine, eyes that accentuated her hair perfectly. As Phoenix expected, she was wearing her favorite kimono, the one that was short enough that it showed off her legs; today, however, she was wearing a pair of jeans under her kimono. He couldn't help but want to kiss those lips, to take her hands, or just to proclaim his feelings for her. As if she could feel Phoenix's gaze on her shoulder, Maya turned around and looked at Phoenix.

"Something wrong, Nick?" Maya asked, bringing Phoenix back in from orbit.

"No, I'm fine." Phoenix responded, thinking in the back of his mind that the only problem was that they weren't together.

"Mr. Nick, we're almost there!" Pearl said, pointing out the window. The structures of the roller coasters of Blue Orchard were visible in the not too far off distance.

"Yeah, we're not too far away now." Phoenix said. Within three minutes, they were at the bus stop outside of the park. They got off the bus right outside of the Blue Orchard; the gates of the park looked like something out of a fantasy movie. They were modeled after a castle's wall, complete with a drawbridge and two turrets to either side. True to the park's name, however, the bricks of the gate were colored a very bright blue. Phoenix could see that Maya and Pearl looked very eager to get into the park.

"Well, here we are, girls." Phoenix said as they paid for admission and entered. The park was divided into four sections, each with four different themes. The area that one saw when they first entered into the park had the same fantasy theme to it that the front gate did, castles and medieval towns colored with liberal amounts of blue. Nearby, they could see a food court and several small rides like a merry-go-round, and in the distance the looming figures of roller coasters were visible.

"Come on, Nick, let's go! I want to ride the Neo Olde Tokyo Express again!" Maya exclaimed. The ride in question was a roller coaster based on the setting of the popular TV show The Nickel Samurai- a futuristic, anime-like Japanese city named Neo Olde Tokyo. As Maya was a huge fan of the Nickel Samurai, she was also a huge fan of the roller coaster.

"What about me, Mystic Maya?" I want to ride the merry-go-round!" Pearl said.

"Oh...well, we'll ride that one first, then, Pearly." Maya replied, and with that the group walked towards the nearby merry-go-round. Blue Orchard's rendition of the carnival staple was much like the traditional carousel. The seats were shaped like horses, lions, and other fantasy animals like one would expect, and from the center pillar of the ride emanated caliope music. The line wasn't particularly long, and consequentially there were plenty of seats to choose from. Maya and Pearl sat on horses right across from each other, while Phoenix sat down in a seat shaped like a sled. The carousel spun slowly- it was a relaxing ride, Phoenix thought, as he watched Maya and Pearl having a great time. Maya... so blissfully ignorant of the truth Phoenix was holding in his heart, the anticipation killing him. He wondered when the opportunity to tell her would present itself, and just as the ride went slowly, so did Phoenix's thoughts stir at the same speed in his head. When the ride finished, they got off and walked towards the part of the park that contained the Neo Olde Tokyo Express.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Maya said to Phoenix.

"Yeah, it was, actually." Phoenix responded. They had entered another part of the park, this segment with a futuristic theme and a color palette featuring much more diversity of color than the fantasy segment did. This was where the thrill rides of the park were located; things like tilt-a-whirls and Enterprise wheels populated the area. Down another path in front of them was the beginning of the queue line to Neo Olde Tokyo Express, a massive steel rollercoaster painted silver. The station platform was modeled after a Japanese temple to fit with the theme of the TV show it was based on, and the line for the ride meant that Phoenix had to wait around thirty-five minutes to board. When the end of the line finally did come, Phoenix sat down in the car right behind the front with Pearl while Maya took the front car alone. Pearl, however, gave Phoenix an odd look when he went to sit down.

"Something the matter, Pearls?" Phoenix asked.

"Wouldn't you like to sit with Mystic Maya?" Pearl said.

"Are you sure you want to ride by yourself?" Phoenix responded.

"Don't worry about me. After all, Maya is very dear to you, isn't she?" Pearl said, her eyes getting the same dreamy look that they usually got whenever she talked about her theory about Phoenix and Maya.

"Well, Pearls, you're right." Phoenix said, and with that he stepped out onto the station platform and into the (thankfully still empty) left seat of the first car on the coaster, right next to Maya.

"Hey, Nick, I thought you were sitting with Pearl." Maya said as Phoenix buckled his safety belt and pulled down the lap bar on the car.

"She asked me if I wanted to sit with you, and I did." Phoenix said.

"Well...if she says so..." Maya replied. The station brakes released, and the train rolled out onto the track, making a turn before latching onto the lift hill. The view of the park became increasingly more thorough as the train was pulled higher up the hill, and at the hill's apex Phoenix could see the park in its entirety. There was little time to take in the view, however, because just as soon as the train reached the top, the track dipped down at a severe angle, rocketing down towards earth at an incredible speed. Maya put her hands up into the air and shouted with glee as the train rushed through the air, and Phoenix gripped the lap bar in an attempt to make himself feel like he was at least somewhat anchored to the rollercoaster.

After the huge drop leveled back out, and flew around a banked curve into another hill. The train rocketed to the ground, twirling around another banked curve before coming onto another hill, up out of the ground. The train climbed over the hill and down into a wide, banked turn at a speed that seemed so fast that the train was certain to break from the tracks, and twisted all throughout the park before the station brakes brought the train to a screeching halt. Phoenix felt like the ride had been a little intense, but it was immense fun to ride, and having Maya riding with him was certainly a plus. Maya looked like she had particularly enjoyed it.

"Every time I come here, I like to ride this coaster, Nick." Maya said as they waited to be let out of the car.

"But you've only been here twice, Maya!" Phoenix responded, laughing.

"Well... that doesn't make it any less true, does it?" she said.

"I guess not..." Phoenix replied, not willing to argue with Maya's logic. The lap bars released, and the two of them unbuckled their safety belts and stepped out of the rollercoaster. After waiting for Pearl to catch up with them, the group returned to the futuristic section of the park. However, they soon found themselves at a loss for what to do or where to go next.

"I never thought I'd be the one saying this, but I'm hungry, and I think burgers would hit the spot." Phoenix proposed to Pearl and Maya.

"And I never thought I'd be saying this, but at the moment I'm not hungry." Maya replied.

"Not even thirsty?" Phoenix said, to which Maya shook her head no.

"Nope. Not even that." Maya said, at which Phoenix sighed.

"Then what will we do, Mystic Maya?" Pearl said. Maya looked like she was thinking for a short time, and then her face lit up with an idea.

"I know! We can go to the water park!" Maya exclaimed with great enthusiasm. Phoenix's eyes got very large; after all, he wouldn't pass up the chance to see Maya in a bikini for anything, considering how he felt for her. He felt in his heart that the time to reveal his love to her was imminent, but he was still a bundle of nerves about actually telling her.

"That sounds like fun, actually." Phoenix said, and after consulting a map of the park, the three of them continued towards the entrance to the water park of Blue Orchard. The water park had no specific theme to it, but its entrance was in a part of the park that had a forest theme to it and was near a go-kart track. They continued down the path to the water park, where their eyes were greeted by the sight of a large wave pool and several waterslides.

"Hey, Nick, do you have our bag?" Maya asked, and Phoenix handed the bag to her. She turned to leave towards the women's changing room, but promptly turned back around when Phoenix called her name.

"Maya... I have something I need to tell you." Phoenix said in a quavering voice, the pace of his heart quickening with each word. The way he spoke caused the expression on Maya's face to sober.

"What is it?" Maya said.

"Can I say it into your ear? I don't want anyone else to hear it." Phoenix responded tensely, taking care to ensure that Pearl didn't hear him. Maya walked over near Phoenix and turned her head so that Phoenix could speak into her ear. His anxiety was so severe that he could barely whisper, and his heart's beating was almost enough to make his entire body shake

"Maya... I think I love you." Phoenix said, feeling as if his words were sure to disgust Maya. It seemed like the words took a second to register, but when they did Maya stepped away from Phoenix so quickly that he cowered instinctively.

"I... I don't know what to tell you, Nick." Maya said, looking down at the ground. The colors of everything Phoenix saw save for Maya went inverted for a second, and then all Phoenix could see was a series of chains coming together in front of and behind Maya. Two red locks appeared on top of the chains, and that was when Phoenix knew that Maya was hiding something from him.

"A Psyche-Lock?!" Phoenix thought; he was grateful that he had remembered to bring his Magatama with him. The Magatama was capable of visualizing secrets locked in someone's heart by making a Psyche-Lock appear like the one that was surrounding Maya, and the number of locks on the Psyche-Lock usually gauged how much effort it would take to uncover the hidden truth. Without hesitation, he began to press Maya on what she was hiding.

"Maya... is there something you're not telling me?" Phoenix said. Maya suddenly looked up with a fierce look on her face.

"No! I mean, w-what do you think I could be hiding from you?" she responded firmly. Phoenix knew that if he were to answer incorrectly to her, it would injure his soul, but he pressed on.

"Maya, I believe that you're in love with someone." Phoenix responded. He was bluffing to try to break the lock, but Maya's eyes grew large at the accusation. Phoenix could tell that his bluff had truth behind it.

"H-How did you know, Nick?!" Maya said, looking amazed. One of the locks on the chains in front of her shattered and disappeared into thin air, indicating that he was on the right track. One lock still remained, however, and Phoenix didn't know what information he would need to break it.

"I have the Magatama, Maya. I can see you're hiding something." Phoenix replied, the confidence in his voice a convincing facade.

"Well, then, if I'm in love with someone, I want to know who you think I'm in love with!" Maya retorted, her eyes blazing. This left Phoenix at a loss; he had no idea who Maya could be in love with, and he was fairly sure that it was not him.

"Edgeworth." Phoenix responded, but Maya didn't sound convinced by his bluff this time.

"Oh, come on, Nick, I know myself better than you think, and that's certainly not the man I love!" Maya responded, her voice bordering on anger. Phoenix felt a sort of tearing pain in his soul; if one failed to guess the secret that would break a Psyche-Lock, it would damage their soul ever so slightly, but the soul is sensitive enough that this would cause intense pain. Now a little more frantic and a little less focused, Phoenix racked his mind for anyone else who could be the answer to his question.

"Detective Gumshoe?" Phoenix gasped, he was clearly grasping at straws and Maya could tell.

"Nick, if you don't know, just give it up. Besides, he's in his thirties and I'm not even twenty yet." Maya said coolly, and Phoenix felt that same pain in his soul that he had felt when he suggested that she loved Edgeworth. Try as he might, Phoenix had lost enough focus that he couldn't think, much less rack his mind for an answer.

"I don't know, are you in love with me?" Phoenix said, more out of sarcasm than anything else. Maya's reaction was not what he expected; her eyes got the biggest he had ever seen them get, and her mouth fell open.

"...You really are good at this, Nick." Maya responded. The second and final lock fragmented into pieces that disappeared before they even hit the ground, and the chains flashed before retracting and disappearing. It was over, Phoenix had broken Maya's Psyche-Lock, thereby uncovering her secret, and Phoenix believed he felt happier than he had ever felt in his life.

"So... you love me too?" Phoenix said, looking directly into Maya's eyes. The uncertainty that he could see in her when he first told her was gone, and in its place he could see eagerness.

"It's true- I love you, Nick." Maya said with her trademark spunky smile. She edged in closer to Phoenix, and he felt her hand tug at his. He took both of her hands with his own; the skin on her hands was pleasantly soft and smooth, and he could feel her pulse underneath her skin. The two looked into each others' eyes and smiled, Maya giggling like a schoolgirl and Phoenix laughing from relief.

"Shall I?" Phoenix asked, puckering his lips. Maya didn't even need to nod; she leaned in and kissed him passionately. Phoenix hugged Maya as they kissed, and the way that she felt in his arms told him that they were where they belonged: in each other's arms. The world outside didn't matter; the only thing that was real was this love, a kiss so sweet that neither of them wanted it to end. Pearl's cries of joy when she saw them interrupted them, and they both looked and saw her jumping up and down with a delighted expression on her face.

"I was right! Mystic Maya really IS your special girl, Mr. Nick!" Pearl cried out. Phoenix blushed while Maya looked pleased with herself.

"Don't forget that Nick is my special guy, Pearly!" Maya responded blissfully.

"Seeing you two share your love like this... It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!" Pearl said, her expression becoming that familiar dreamy look. Phoenix looked at Pearl, and then back at Maya, and kissed her again; the rest of the world once more melted out of their minds as they closed their eyes. Their embrace was cut short by Pearl again.

"What is it, Pearls?" Phoenix asked.

"Well...I don't mean to deprive you two of time with each other but aren't we going to change and go into the water park?" she said. Phoenix and Maya both nodded.

"Yes, Pearly, we are." Maya said to Pearl before she turned back to Phoenix. "Hey, Nick, you took my bag back when we were holding hands." she added.

"Oh, right. Here you go." Phoenix said as he handed Maya's bag back to her.

"I guess you should consider yourself a lucky man, Nick. We just started dating and you already get to see me in my bikini." Maya said with a flirtatious smile.

"I do, Maya. I do." Phoenix responded, and he walked to the men's dressing room as Pearl and Maya went to the women's dressing room. All he could think about was his memories with Maya, from the moment he met her to the moment he was thinking of her right now. How she had transitioned from a girl to a young woman, how she had transitioned from a neophyte still in training to a capable spirit medium, how her transition from immaturity to maturity was well underway, how she had transitioned from inept to invaluable...

How she had transitioned from simply being his coworker to being the woman he loved.


End file.
